Tag Archives: tea party

“Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea! How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea.” ~ Sydney Smith

A few days ago my team and I undertook a massive photo shoot for our new website. This involved multiple locations over a number of days – our favourite Byron Bay cafes and hangouts (think bookstores and farmers markets!), the beach, the lighthouse and of course our farm.

The favourite part of the shoot for me was a tea party we held under big old trees in our front yard.

It was a proper tea party with finger sandwiches, egg rolls, little cakes and big cakes and chocolates and macarons. And three types of tea served in teapots with cute knitted cosies.

Not far from where we sat was a beautiful crystal grid of stones and flowers, nestled in the grass. It helped the energy of our afternoon to be relaxed, happy and joyous.

Here’s a sneak peak at some of the loveliness,

Hugs, Nicole ❤xx

Tasty treats and garden-fresh flowers for the table

Setting the table ready for afternoon tea, and there is still so much food to bring down, and we need the teapots filled!

“It is easy to decide on what is wrong to wear to a party, such as deep-sea diving equipment or a pair of large pillows, but deciding what is right is much trickier.”
~ Lemony Snicket, The Slippery Slope

I thought I’d give you a little snapshot of yesterday’s successful afternoon tea, which was, in fact, a very non-traditional baby shower…

There were all sorts of lovely treats. Finger sandwiches, tiny macarons and cupcakes, fruit platters and cheese plates.

The steampunk baby cake was a work of art. Inside all of that clever fondant was a scrumptiously moist caramel mud cake for the bottom layer, and chocolate mud for the top.

We played all sorts of fun games, including ‘Guess the Girth’ of our mother-to-be, by placing our name on a wide ribbon to mark what we estimated to be the size of our friend’s tummy. We also guessed the number of jelly beans in a jar, and had a blind taste-test of four different jars of baby food, to see if we could correctly identify the flavours.

The afternoon finished with a gifting ceremony, excellent cups of tea and coffee, slices of cake, and more marvellous chocolate steampunk cupcakes and salted caramel and chocolate macarons.

All in all it was a wonderful afternoon of kindness, laughter, friendship, much chatter, and just a few little tears.

Living and working as a psychic can be quite draining, although I love what I do. It’s not dissimilar to any other ‘caring’ profession, where you are totally focused on the needs of others, in a way that leaves little time for yourself.

I’ve learned that the best way to avoid burnout for me is to work for a few intense days in a row and then have a complete break from clients for a time. And one of the ways I often celebrate finishing my work week is with a visit to Queenies Teahouse, at Nundah Village in Brisbane.

It’s the perfect place for nurture and soul food. From the moment you push open the door with its tinkling bell you can feel yourself begin to unwind. Smiling staff greet you and usher you to crisp linen’d tables, and soon you’ll find yourself cradling a small tasting cup of one of their delightful teas as you peruse the menu.

A visit to Queenies is like a step back in time, where the worries of the world stop at the front door. In the background the gentle strains of music your grandmother might have listened to – all the old jazz and blues greats, and the sounds of yesteryear – soothe and unfrazzle your senses. Gorgeous smells waft from the kitchen.

This is no coffee shop with its clatter and noise, laptops and mobile phones. Here you find friends chatting, generations of families catching up over a pot of tea, and individuals having a moment’s respite from their daily madness – a sort of ‘tea and tasties’ meditation for one.

The teas are sublime and there are so many to choose from. There are two full menu pages devoted to the tea selection, with the sorts of descriptions usually reserved for wine lists.

The herbal tea and green tea varieties are as extensive as the black teas, and they always arrive at your table perfectly brewed, or refreshingly iced.

And have I mentioned the food…

Everything is made fresh in the Queenies kitchen – examples include the daintiest of ribbon sandwiches, creamy risotto, savoury mince (that is right up there with my late grandmother’s), exquisite cakes, coconut ice, and of course cupcakes and scones to die for…

Yesterday a friend and I enjoyed ribbon sandwiches and a pot of Creme Brulee Tea, followed by something sweet.

For me, the most moist and delicious gluten-free orange and almond cake, with its own little shotglass of orange syrup and a perfect ball of chocolate ganache of swooning quality…

For my friend, the baked cheesecake with its spicy gingernut biscuit crust and heavenly berry topping…

The menu has all the traditional high tea favourites, and is also vegetarian and gluten-free friendly. And there are lovely treats to take home – a sachet or two of your favourite tea, a pretty teapot or tea-towel, or perhaps a tiny tea set for the small people in your life.

In fact, I was so inspired that I am planning to book the place out and have a Sunday Function here one day soon, where we can combine Soul Food, Spirituality, Blessings and Poetry over a lovely lunch and a good cup of tea with like-minded souls. Stay tuned for details!

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